May 7, 2014: Two Palestinians were executed in the Gaza Strip as Israeli spies, the enclave’s Islamist Hamas government said, adding they had helped the Jewish state’s armed forces carry out lethal operations.
The condemned men, one of whom was hanged and the other shot by firing squad, “provided the Occupation (Israel) with information that led to the martyrdowm of citizens”, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
Since Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, at least 19 prisoners have been executed, 10 of them as alleged spies.
Hamas refuses to recognize Israel and its charter calls for the destruction of the Jewish state.
The Interior Ministry statement said the men executed had been convicted of treason for providing Israel with information used to kill Palestinians and bomb Gaza targets. Both had exhausted legal options and had access to attorneys, the statement said. (Sources: Reuters, 7/5/2014)